The Cyber Crime Branch (CCB) of the Chennai police registered a case against Surendran Natarajan of the Tamil YouTube channel Karuppar Koottam, based on a complaint filed by the BJP on Monday. This, following a video by the rationalist group which allegedly contained derogatory remarks against Hindu deity Murugan.
A case has been filed under Sections 153 (intent to cause riot), 153(A)(1)(a) (causes disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities), 295(p) (defiling a place of worship), 505(1)(b) (likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public), 505(2) (makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report) of the Indian Penal Code.
RS Paul Kanagaraj, head of the state BJP Advocates’ division in Tamil Nadu, Vinoj P Selvam, BJP’s state youth wing leader, on behalf of BJP State vice president MN Raja, had filed a complaint on July 13. The complainants had sought immediate action against a video uploaded on the YouTube channel by Surendra Natarajan on Monday that allegedly contained derogatory remarks about Hindu deity Murugan and a prayer sung in his praise called ‘Kandha Sashti Kavacham’.
The BJP had claimed that the video was made with malicious content to malign the sanctity of Hindu gods. The complaint added that the Hindus can no longer tolerate such ‘slanders’ against their god and religion and demanded the arrest of all those involved in addition to banning the channel.
Members of the BJP, led by Coimbatore Urban district secretary CR Nandakumar, and leaders of the Hindu Munnetra Kazhagam and Vivekananda Peravai have also demanded stringent action, including arrest, against the YouTuber for his ‘denigrating remarks’, which they said could foment communal trouble.
In a separate memorandum to the Coimbatore City Police Commissioner, the Rashtriya Sanatana Seva Sangham sought a ban on the channel for allegedly making disparaging remarks about the Hindu god and the religion. Hindu Makkal Katchi also submitted a petition to the Police Commissioner in Tiruppur on similar lines, seeking the immediate arrest of the man.
(With inputs from PTI)